How favorable is an MPH compared to other Masters?

[mjg713]

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I am thinking of getting a Masters to make myself more competitive. I have been very interested in getting an MPH because It will actually help me as a Dentist compared to say an MS in Biology. However, will the MS in Bio look more favorable considering it consists of all upper-level science courses?

 

[joshwake]

for most schools I would guess a masters in some science field would be best. maybe like a master's in biomedical science or something. There are some schools that really value an MPH, ASDOH for example. I think if you are trying to improve your app to as many schools as possible, I would look at something like a 9 month science based masters or longer.

 

[wired202808]

I am thinking of getting a Masters to make myself more competitive. I have been very interested in getting an MPH because It will actually help me as a Dentist compared to say an MS in Biology. However, will the MS in Bio look more favorable considering it consists of all upper-level science courses?

Your grades will matter significantly more than the program itself. Do what you want as long as you can take upper level bio courses and score near a 4.0

 

[mjg713]

yes, but the issue is the MPH contains virtually no bio classes. So this will not help my science GPA.

 

[wired202808]

yes, but the issue is the MPH contains virtually no bio classes. So this will not help my science GPA.

so you answered your own question. 🙂

 

[r2thekesh]

So I've talked to multiple schools about this and they all say get an MS. I also have had friends that had crappy GPAs, got an MPH, and got accepted to some of these schools. I got an MS and have not been accepted. Maybe something else changed but from my experience an MPH might be worth it.

 

[cdbebeau]

speaking as someone who has an MPH and is applying to dental schools this cycle, i can subjectively say that getting my masters did help me with my application. do something because you want to learn it, not to improve a gpa. don't get an MS if you're trying to impress, you'll want to put a gun to your head halfway through. get an MPH, write an application that screams public health, and don't worry about what other people think

 

[wired202808]

speaking as someone who has an MPH and is applying to dental schools this cycle, i can subjectively say that getting my masters did help me with my application. do something because you want to learn it, not to improve a gpa. don't get an MS if you're trying to impress, you'll want to put a gun to your head halfway through. get an MPH, write an application that screams public health, and don't worry about what other people think

the only reason to pursue an MS program is to boost a low science GPA. if an MPH lacks upper level bio courses, it is essentially useless to pursue. OP must take the proper route to boost an inherently low sGPA to ensure he/she is competitive enough for admission.